Commission for Africa
Commission for Africa report
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Published: 2005/03/11 11:57:12 GMT
Africa Report Demands Aid
Boost
The UK-led Commission for Africa has
urged wealthy nations to double their aid to the continent, raising
it by £30bn ($50bn) a year over 10 years.
African leaders need to root out
corruption and promote good governance, the commission's final
report says.
Prime Minister Tony Blair said reducing poverty in Africa was
"the fundamental challenge of our generation".
In an impassioned plea, rock star Bob Geldof urged rich countries
to "get real" or be shamed forever.
Hopefully, the wish list can be translated into genuine action
"Africa can change for the better and the report shows
how," Mr Blair said at a news conference in London to launch
the report.
"There can be no excuse, no defence, no justification for
the plight of millions of our fellow beings in Africa today,"
he said.
He set up the commission, which includes several African leaders
and singer Bob Geldof, in February 2004 and promised to change
UK policy to follow the report's recommendations.
'Dysfunctional relationship'
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who launched the report
in Ethiopia, said it represented "a moment of awakening
for Africa."
He said it was now up to the people of Africa, along with those
in the developed world, to make sure the conclusions were implemented.
Geldof told the BBC that the difference between this and previous
reports on how to end poverty was the level of political commitment
from those in power in the world's richest countries.
"It redefines the dysfunctional relationship between the
developed world and Africa," he said.
He said putting the report's recommendations into practice would
cost the citizen of every rich country half a stick of chewing
gum each day.
But he said the key was ending misrule in Africa.
He congratulated Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika, whose
fight against corruption led to him leaving the ruling party,
but urged Uganda's Yoweri Museveni to stop his attempts to stay
in power for life.
Apart from increasing aid and fighting corruption, the other
key recommendations of the 400-page report are:
- Cancel debts
- Spend more on health, especially Aids
- Provide free primary schools
- West should fund African peacekeeping
- West should return money stolen by corrupt
officials
- West should stop arms sales to conflict
zones
It also calls for more urgent action on
trade-distorting export subsidies paid to farmers in the developed
world, to allow a level playing field.
Not radical
The BBC's developing world correspondent David Loyn says
that like so much in the report, action on subsidies will demand
a substantial change in US policy.
The developed world has a moral duty to assist Africa
US spending on development is the lowest, considering the
size of its economy, with no plans to fulfil a 30-year-old promise
to commit 0.7% of GDP to development funding.
Mr Blair is hoping to use the impetus of the report to secure
real change when the leaders of the most industrialised nations,
the G7, meet at Gleneagles in Scotland in July.
Since the report was leaked last week, some aid agencies have
broadly welcomed the thrust of the changes demanded, while others
have criticised it for not being radical enough.
ActionAid said the Gleneagles meeting will be a test of whether
the West really is committed to reducing poverty in Africa.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/africa/4337083.stm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Africa Report Findings Welcomed
Published: 2005/03/12 00:27:20 GMT
African leaders have offered a cautious
welcome to the findings of the UK-led Commission for Africa,
which urges a huge increase in aid donations.
It also says African leaders must end corruption and improve
governance.
Wealthy nations are asked to double aid to the continent, adding
£30bn ($50bn) a year over 10 years.
Unveiling the report, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said reducing
poverty in Africa was "the fundamental challenge of our
generation".
And in an impassioned plea, rock star and aid campaigner Bob
Geldof urged rich countries to "get real" or be shamed
forever.
Hopefully, the wish list can be translated into genuine action
"Africa can change for the better and the report shows
how," Mr Blair said at a news conference in London to launch
the report.
"There can be no excuse, no defence, no justification for
the plight of millions of our fellow beings in Africa today,"
he said.
He set up the commission, which includes several African leaders
and Mr Geldof, in February 2004 and promised to change UK policy
to follow the report's recommendations.
Adrian Lovett, of anti-poverty group Oxfam, said the report could
be a "rallying call for a generation" but could easily
end up gathering dust.
"It's now up to world leaders to make that choice,"
he said.
"In the long term, history will judge this report not just
by its content but by its capacity to deliver genuine change."
'Dysfunctional relationship'
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who launched the report
in Ethiopia, said it represented "a moment of awakening
for Africa".
He said it was now up to the people of Africa, along with those
in the developed world, to make sure the conclusions were implemented.
But South African President Thabo Mbeki warned: "It must
translate not into a lot of paper, but into a firm, serious programme
of action."
Geldof told the BBC that the difference between this and previous
reports on how to end poverty was the level of political commitment
from those in power in the world's richest countries.
"It redefines the dysfunctional relationship between the
developed world and Africa," he said.
He said putting the report's recommendations into practice would
cost the citizen of every rich country half a stick of chewing
gum each day.
But he said the key was ending misrule in Africa.
Apart from increasing aid and fighting corruption, the other
key recommendations of the 400-page report are:
- Cancellation of debt
- Increased spending on health, particularly
Aids
- Provision of free primary schools
- Western funding for African peacekeeping
- Western drive to return money stolen by
corrupt officials
- An end to Western arms sales to conflict
zones
The developed world has a moral duty
to assist Africa
It also calls for more urgent action
on trade-distorting export subsidies paid to farmers in the developed
world, to allow a level playing field.
The BBC's developing world correspondent David Loyn says that
like so much in the report, action on subsidies will demand a
substantial change in US policy.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/africa/4342557.stm
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